9 Things Doctors Can Tell About Your Health Just By Looking At Your Eyes

When you look into your eyes, you may be trying to steel yourself
for an interview. Or maybe you're just checking to see if they
are red and bloodshot, irritated by allergies or perhaps a long
night out.

But when doctors look into your eyes, they can see a lot more.
The eyes might be the proverbial window to the soul, but they are
also a clear window to your health, and the amount of information
they can reveal is astounding.

Many conditions cause symptoms throughout the body — some show up
in the skin, others in the mouth, and some even in
fingernails — but the eye is one spot that reveals a
particularly large percentage of health issues.

"Looking in an eye really is a fabulous experience," says Dr.
Charles P. Wilkinson, a retina specialist and clinical spokesman
for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "It's the only place
you can see blood vessels bouncing along their merry way, you can
see the optic nerve, which is part of the brain."

With so much visible, more than 30 conditions show symptoms in
the eyes. That's why eye doctors — ophthalmologists — and
optometrists are frequently among the first to spot certain
problems.

3. Itchy, swollen, red eyes are common giveaways that a
patient is suffering from allergies, frequently
triggered by pollen, dust, or pet dander. Eyedrops can help,
especially if they include an antihistamine, though
be careful of oral antihistamines, as some can cause eyes to
dry out, worsening the problem.

4. Dry eyes are a side effect of both
computer usage and many medications, like sleeping
pills, pain relievers, or anti-anxiety medications.
Autoimmune diseases can cause dry eyes as well,
especially one called Sjögren's syndrome,
which destroys moisture-producing glands and mostly affects older
women.

5. Most people lose the ability to focus on close-up
things like the print on restaurant menus as they age,
but certain medications — antidepressants, antihistamines, and
diuretics — can cause this condition, called presbyopia, to happen prematurely.

6. Blurry vision can be caused by a
long list of eye conditions, but for those already at risk of
high blood pressure, it can be a sign that someone needs to
get to the doctor immediately. Once a
person's sight is obscured by side effects of hypertension, that
person needs treatment quickly, as vision and more is at stake.

7. Suddenly seeing specks or flashes of light can be a
sign of a torn retina. Some people experience these
symptoms with migraines or simply as they grow older. But a
sudden increase in the size and number of specks or flashes of
light you see can be caused by a torn retina, which needs to be treated. That's especially the
case if the flashes or spots are accompanied by a shadow or loss
of peripheral vision, which very likely indicates a detached
retina.

8. Eye doctors can be the first ones to detect some
cancers. An eye doctor can check for
ocular melanoma, a rare form of melanoma but one that usually
can't be detected by looking in the mirror. If other causes of
pressure or pain in the eye are ruled out, Wilkinson says, an eye
doctor may check to see if a brain tumor is a possibility.

9. High cholesterol can frequently cause white rings to
develop around the eyes, and can also cause yellowish bumps to appear in
the eyelids. Older patients are
likely to also develop similar white rings, but in any case,
it can be a sign that cholesterol needs to be checked by a
doctor.

McGrann says the large number of diseases that cause symptoms in
the eye should convince people that an annual eye exam is
worthwhile. An annual exam is especially necessary for anyone
over 40, Wilkinson says — though he notes that many of
these health conditions are frequently detected first during
routine medical screening.

At that point, changes in the eye and body mean that eye doctors
have important conditions to monitor, even if vision is stable.
And new problems can surface at any time. Many can be treated
before they cause a problem — but only if a doctor has a chance
to examine the eye in the first place.